Visitors to Egypt too often come only for the splendors of the pharaohs and the monuments of Islam ? but one of the country’s most fascinating aspects is its Christian heritage. Before the rise of Islam, Egypt was Christian province of the Byzantine Empire, and even earlier had proved to be one of the most fertile grounds for Christianity during the perioed of Roman rule; even after the coming of the Prophet, a substantial Christian minority remained in Egypt and it still exists today.
Most Egyptian Christians belong to the Coptic, or Monophysite, Church, a denomination dating back to the 4th century; they often tattoo their hands with a small cross to show their faith. Fascinatingly, Coptic liturgy is still written in the Coptic language ? a direct descendent of the language spoken by the Pharoahs and unrelated to the Arabic used in modern Egypt. Thanks to the tolerance of later Muslim rulers of Egypt, there are still many ancient Coptic churches in existence, and the warm and friendly Coptic community welcomes foreigners who wish to explore their churches and monasteries and learn more about their unique culture.
